This invention relates to a fork positioner for adjusting the transverse spacing between load-lifting forks of a lift truck. More particularly, the invention is an improvement of a previous fork positioner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,190, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
It is a common occurrence for one or more of the load-lifting forks of a lift truck to require replacement for any of a number of reasons, such as damage to the fork or the need to change the type of fork. Normally, such replacement is relatively easy because standard forks with hook-type mounting hardware can simply be moved transversely along a fork-supporting member to a disengagement position and then lifted vertically off of the fork-supporting member to detach the fork therefrom. However the presence of a fork positioner usually hinders such easy detachment. For example, the downwardly depending U-shaped fork positioning yokes utilized in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,190 prevent the fork from being lifted upwardly off of the fork-supporting member. Accordingly, each yoke must be disassembled and moved out of the way to enable the fork to be replaced.
The present invention solves the foregoing problem by providing a fork positioner having multiple fork-engaging yokes, each having a base from which a pair of transversely-spaced legs depend to detachably engage a respective fork such that the base of the yoke is positioned above an upper portion of the respective fork, and the legs of the yoke depend downwardly along the transversely-opposite sides of the respective fork. A power actuator assembly selectively moves the yokes transversely, and thereby moves the forks along a transverse fork-supporting member to adjust their transverse spacing. Each of the yokes has a fork-engaging position preventing a respective fork from being lifted upwardly off of the fork-supporting member, and a fork-disengaging position permitting the fork to be lifted upwardly off of the fork-supporting member, each of the yokes being selectively movable between its fork-engaging position and its fork-disengaging position.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.